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Like clockwork, Apple's online store went down Tuesday morning ahead of the iPad Mini event scheduled for later in the day.
Apple typically takes the online store down a few hours before its launch events in order to add new products into the system. It's also become an event in and of itself that proves once and for all to Apple watchers that new products are coming.
Aside from introducing a smaller iPad, Apple is also expected to unveil a new 13-inch MacBook Retina Pro as well as announce updates to iTunes and iBooks
The Apple event is scheduled to take place Tuesday at 1pm ET at the California Theatre in San Jose. The online store should go back up shortly after the event is over.